Pakistan is on the verge of sending its soldiers into Gaza as part of an international “stabilization” force – a move shrouded in confusion and risk. Under a U.S.-brokered post-war peace plan, an International Stabilization Force (ISF) is being formed to take control of Gaza once active combat subsides. Pakistani officials have been in secret discussions about joining this force, which would mainly comprise troops from Muslim-majority countries. The ISF’s stated mission seems harmless, which includes maintaining internal security in Gaza, disarming Hamas, protecting border crossings, and overseeing humanitarian and reconstruction efforts, but its implications are explosive. In effect, Pakistani personnel would be tasked with dismantling the Hamas network and ensuring Gaza remains pacified under a framework palatable to Israel’s security interests
Such an arrangement marks an extraordinary shift for Pakistan. The country has never formally recognized Israel, and Pakistani passports explicitly bar travel to Israel. For decades, Islamabad’s rhetoric positioned Pakistan as a champion of the Palestinian cause; support for Palestine was equated with outright opposition to Israel’s existence. As recently as August 2025, Pakistan’s parliament unanimously reaffirmed “historic and unwavering support” for the Palestinian people and condemned Israel’s military aggression in Gaza as war crimes. Yet now, behind closed doors, Pakistan’s military leadership appears to be aligning with a plan that effectively partners with Israel in Gaza.
The reaction to the proposed Gaza troop deployment has been fierce. The notion that Pakistani forces would help implement a security regime benefiting Israel, even indirectly, has been met with outrage both at home and across the Muslim world. If Pakistani troops end up coordinating with Israel to disarm Hamas, ordinary Pakistanis will view it “not as peacekeeping, but as complicity with Israel’s strategic goals”. Public sentiment in Pakistan is overwhelmingly pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel, so this stark reversal is seen as nothing less than a betrayal of the Palestinian cause.
Critics have not minced words. Leaders in Pakistan and other Muslim countries who showed openness to the U.S. Gaza plan are being branded “traitors to the Ummah.” Even internationally, key Muslim allies are alarmed: countries like Iran, Turkey, and Qatar reportedly view Pakistan’s move as a capitulation to Western interests and a betrayal of the Palestinian people. In other words, by contemplating this deployment, Pakistan risks isolating itself from the very Islamic world whose cause it claims to champion.
Behind the high-minded talk of peacekeeping, what is really happening is a strategic realignment. By joining the Gaza stabilization force, Pakistan would, in effect, be helping Israel “finish the job” against Hamas.
Inside Pakistan, news of the Gaza troop plan has ignited a firestorm of dissent. The most vocal backlash has come from Islamic parties and groups who accuse the government and army of selling out the Ummah. The hardline Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) immediately mobilized when reports of a Gaza deal emerged. TLP leaders denounced the U.S.-brokered peace agreement as a “conspiracy to subjugate the Palestinian people” and vowed to resist it. The state’s response was swift and severe. When TLP members defied hard security measures, violent clashes erupted, in which over 100 people got killed and scores got injured. In the aftermath, a draconian crackdown unfolded nationwide in which over 2,700 TLP members and supporters were arrested across Pakistan, with thousands more put on no-fly lists, as the government sought to preempt any further unrest. This heavy-handed suppression of a popular Islamist group close to the military reveals the unprecedented lengths Pakistan’s establishment is willing to go to push through the Gaza plan.
The conservative Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party also objected the military’s plan in parliament, with JI lawmakers decrying any deal that recognizes Israel or undermines Palestinian rights. Politicians, journalists, and civil society activists across the spectrum have lambasted the move as a “two-state surrender” to Israel that Pakistan’s rulers have no mandate to approve.
Perhaps most galling to many is that the decision to send Pakistani forces abroad was made unilaterally by the military brass and a handful of officials, without any consultation in parliament.
At the center of the storm is Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, who has reportedly engineered this policy. Once hailed by some as a “defender” of Muslim causes, Munir is now facing scathing criticism for bartering Pakistan’s principles for personal or institutional gain. In Pakistani media and on the streets, accusations of greed and treachery are being leveled at the Chief. Munir has reportedly struck a deal with Washington (and even directly with Israel) in exchange for financial kickbacks or political favors, essentially turning Pakistan’s army into a mercenary force in Gaza.
Reports claim that Munir demanded $10,000 per Pakistani soldier from Israel in compensation for the Gaza deployment – an offer that Israel allegedly rebuffed, offering a mere $100 per soldier instead. If true, this behind-the-scenes haggling portrays Pakistan’s Gaza mission as a cynical cash-for-services deal. The episode amounts to an “unprincipled attempt to monetize a conflict” – effectively putting a price tag on Pakistan’s support in a war-torn Muslim land. The uproar over this claim was so intense that it reportedly derailed Pakistan’s initial narrative of “peacekeeping” and sparked outrage within the country.
Moreover, multiple reports suggest that General Munir has been quietly coordinating with American and Israeli officials for months regarding Gaza. In return, Western capitals would purportedly bail out Pakistan’s ailing economy with financial perks, including leniency on World Bank loans, deferred debt repayments, and fresh funds from wealthy Gulf states. Pakistan’s plan to send troops to Gaza has become a national and international flashpoint. What the government frames as a peacekeeping contribution, critics at home call an unforgivable sell-out. The move undermines Pakistan’s decades-old stance on Palestine, betrays the Ummah, and casts the country as aiding Israel’s agenda in one of the most sensitive conflicts on the planet. Munir’s Gaza gamble is causing serious harm to Pakistan’s unity and reputation, and internally, it could result in increased instability and violence on the streets.
Views: 263
